Community Supported Agriculture Newsletter
327 Route 21C
No. 17
This week we hear from Theresa, our second
year apprentice. She is the partner of Dan,
currently our herdsman, formerly our CSA driver and garden person. (We heard from Dan in
the August 18th issue).
The second year apprentice helps Steffen
during the haying season. There is only one such position available each
year, and we are glad to have Theresa as she has done a great job!
Fall Harvest Festival
Saturday,
October 8
Rain or shine
Looking Forward to
October 5th
Anticipated Harvest
§
Arugula
§
Broccoli for some
§
Cauliflower for some
§
Kale
§
Leeks
§
Lettuce
§
Potatoes
§
Turnips for some
Dear
CSA members:
"What
did you learn this summer?" asked my fellow apprentice Laura last week as
we harvested. I believe I returned this
query with a quizzical look. "About?"
I prompted. “What did you learn as a
second year apprentice?" she elaborated.
I
have encountered variations of this question over the past few months and I am
always taken aback. It has been
difficult enough for me to describe the work of a second year apprentice in
terms that are interesting and comprehensible to anyone who has not been around
haying. Extracting some sort of lesson
from the experience of my work adds another layer of complexity where I already
feel at a loss for words.
Saying
I learned how to mow, rake and even bale a few bales, however, does not do
justice to the experience of mowing. The
outlying hay fields are wild and isolated. Deer stare cautiously out of
the woods, swallows circle, quickly catching insects flushed up by human
activity, and chase off marauding hawks.
I
was frightened of the mower at first. Its long black arm veils a row of blades that
spin impossibly fast. Yet it lays a
field of grass absolutely whole and flat. Seeing every stalk in a mower's pass lying on
the ground in the same direction next to the wall of still standing field
filled me with a sense of intense satisfaction. I still worried that I might hit something,
but after a while it was easier to control the voracious mower, lessening my
chances of misjudging and trying to mow a tree instead of grass. While raking the cut grass into neat rows, I
could drive significantly faster, and was always pleased with the way the
windrows of dried grass, now hay, followed the contours of the land. The form of a hill or dip in a field becomes
so much more enunciated with a stripe of raised hay following its curves.
The
sun was intense; driving back and forth over a field kicked up warm, heady
odors of sweet clover and of the odd, unwanted patch of fern or milkweed. Often
it felt like a race to keep ahead of Steffen towing the round baler, which
gathered up my rows and spit out a tightly rolled cylinder of hay. The most rewarding aspect of haying however is
not learning how to operate big machinery, or drive around fast on a tractor,
although those activities are great fun in and of themselves.
The
hayfields provide an important habitat for a myriad of animal species, but I learned
it is an important part of the farmer's life to be able to share a space less
intensively with our wild neighbors. The privilege of seeing the entire range
of the farm, including all the fields we need to feed the herd of cows throughout
the long winter, is quite different from the concentrated work in the garden
and barn of my first year.
-Theresa
Leftovers, with Love.
After pick-up is
complete at the Riverdale Hawthorne Valley Farm CSA, what becomes of all those
gorgeous leftovers?
Volunteers haul them
in their cars to “Part of The Solution”
(POTS) on
POTS is primarily
privately funded and as director Mary Alice says, “We are a community of
love.” Mary Alice and her dedicated
staff provide a host of other very much-needed services to those most
needy. This includes not only 2 daily
meals seven days a week, but also a monthly food pantry, showers, mail,
haircuts, clothing closet and a homeless prevention service.
Our Thursday
deliveries are very much anticipated and utilized. On the day I visited, many single men were
enjoying Chef Oliver Johnson’s creations.
Chef Johnson was once on the receiving end of the serving line. Now he is a valued employee. Families were also sitting together at
nicely set tables to enjoy a chicken vegetable ragout.
The love of this
community has made all the difference.
If you ever wonder “where do the Riverdale leftovers go?”, now you know.
By Fran
Cauliflower Crostini
|
|
One
head of cauliflower, broken into florets 3
Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1
small red onion, finely chopped 1
teaspoon fennel seeds Salt
& freshly ground pepper Eight
1/3-inch-thick slices of peasant bread, cut in half 1
garlic clove 2
Tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley |
In
a large nonstick skillet, bring 1 inch of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower, cover and cook over high
heat until just tender, about 12 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon, transfer the cauliflower florets to a bowl;
reserve the cooking liquid.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in the
skillet. Add the onion and cook over
moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden. Add the cauliflower, fennel seeds and a pinch
of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring
occasionally, until very tender, about 8 minutes; add a few tablespoons of the
cooking liquid if it begins to look dry.
Mash the cauliflower to a chunky puree and adjust seasoning.
Toast
the bread and brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Rub the crostini with the cut sides of the
garlic clove, sprinkle with salt and spoon the cauliflower on top. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, garnish
with the parsley and serve.
Makes 8 servings.
Pasta Shells with Cauliflower and
Anchovy Sauce
One
head of cauliflower, broken into florets
4
Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1
small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can anchovies
1 pound pasta shells
2 teaspoons hot pepper flakes, or to taste
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Freshly grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese
Bring salted water to a boil for the pasta. Blanch the cauliflower for 2 or 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
Heat the olive oil and sauté the onion with the garlic until soft. Drain the anchovies, reserving their oil, and chop them. Add them with the oil to the pan with the onions. Cook until the anchovies have dissolved, for about 5 minutes, mashing them with the back of a wooden spoon.
Put the pasta on to boil and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, add the cauliflower, and hot pepper flakes to the onion-anchovy mixture. Toss so that the cauliflower is coated and heated through.
Drain the pasta and combine it in a heated serving bowl with the cauliflower. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley and serve, passing the grated cheese separately.